The vet wasn't sure what her squishy heel was, but wasn't concerned. She said it could be some kind of fallen tendon. There was another small lump next to it. I brought ashes in for the heel lump and lack of coordination, but the vet didn't notice the hock lump and found another one, thinking that was the lump I brought her in for. The other lump is a swollen lymph node on her inner thigh. she tested for Lyme and heart worm, negative. To elaborate, ashes has been stumbly in her hind end. Falling on her butt, swaggering after running (which is rare these days).

Towards the end of the visit, during her anal gland expression, she noticed ashes standing on the top of her paw, she was immediately more concerned. She's going in for xrays this week. I apologize for the bad coordination of this post, admitting my girl is getting old is hard, admitting there is something wrong is even harder. Here are some pictures of her stance while eating, in these you can see both the swollen hock and the lymph node. She was concerned about her spine.

And yes, she is 7 pounds overweight. She has dramatically slowed down in the past 6 months, and I haven't been exercising her properly for worry of stressing her. We will be taking the weight off, we've done it plenty times before! Sometimes it's hard to tell your pup is plump until an outsider tells you!

I forgot to mention ashes is 11 now. She's on doxycicline and the vet prescribed rymadyl. I guess permanently? I've been avoiding giving ashes a daily pain treatment for a long time, but maybe it is time. She's had pain meds after her many surgeries and tolerated them well. I'm nervous about giving the rymadyl. But I want quality. And quantity.

We had a nice walk this morning, and I'll admit, I have not been walking her. It's hard. I remember the days when I would give anything for the damn dog to walk by my side as a held her back with all my might. The time I tried to teach her heel using the quick turn method and accidentally quick turned her into the swimming pool which required a swift rescue as she started to sink. The times I wiped out on the ice and she dragged me on my butt, looking back at me after a minute like, "oh, did I do that?". Now she walks behind me, the hyper active pointer darting back and forth in front of us as I switch hands and leashes constantly to find a nice balance. Her heads low, her tails low, I think she feels a bit outdone by the 6 year old. In her typical city dog fashion she chooses to walk in the road instead of the nice, wide, grassy shoulder. Her nails from her little inward facing paw scrape loudly on the pavement with every drawn out step. I shouldn't be this sad when I don't know for sure something serious is wrong, but I can't help it. Sometimes Matt comes home from work finding me bawling on the couch listening to landslide like a doofus. I just can't possibly imagine life without this pup. 19 to 25 has proven to be pretty damn rough, and this girl got me through it. I guess I just needed a vent.

The extra weight is probably adding burden and pain - so when that comes off it should help some. Don't go on less walks because it makes you sad. Think of her happiness. They may be slower, but I'm sure she still loves them - even at a leisurely pace.

BrokenAquarian wrote::hug: The extra weight is probably adding burden and pain - so when that comes off it should help some. Don't go on less walks because it makes you sad. Think of her happiness. They may be slower, but I'm sure she still loves them - even at a leisurely pace.

They are also very important for taking care of her joints. Without muscle mass, arthritic joints become more unstable. Even if its only a short walk, it is even more important now than ever to take her out 7 days a week. Do what she can do without being sore later in the day, and do it every day, rain or shine.

It would be ideal to get a more specific diagnosis - getting a referral to an orthopedic specialist or neurologist might be best. Even a certified rehab doctor might be better able to pinpoint the area of concern and make better recommendations for pain control and exercise.